Claiming housing and council tax support

Claiming housing and council tax support

How and when do I claim?

If you are claiming Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance (income based) or Employment Support Allowance you will need to claim Housing Benefit by contacting Jobcentre Plus on 0800 055 6688. They will take all of the details required for your claim and then forward them on to Boston Borough Council who will process your claim for Housing Benefit. This means that you will no longer need to fill in a paper claim form if you are claiming Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance (income based) or Employment Support Allowance for Housing Benefit.

For claims of Council Tax Support, please contact Boston Borough Council directly on 01205 314202.

If you are claiming Pension Credit, the Department for Work and Pensions will include a HCTB1 form in the claim pack.

Return it as soon as possible to the Department for Work and Pensions who will then send the form to us with confirmation of whether or not you are entitled to Pension Credit. If you are a private tenant, the council will send you another form asking for details of your rent.

If you are not claiming Income Support, Incapacity Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance (income-based), you need to fill in an application form (see documents at the bottom of this page).

Benefit & Support Calculator

If you would like to get an estimate of your entitlement then please click the link with related links called Housing Benefit & Council Tax Support Calculator.

What proof do you need to see before my benefit can be worked out?

You must provide:

Your National Insurance number

Proof that the number is yours

Two original proofs of identity and

Original proof of all your income and capital

Full details of the type of evidence that is acceptable is stated on the claim form.

If applicable you will also have to provide:

Proof of rent

Proof of earnings

Proof of rent

If you are the tenant of a registered social landlord (housing association) for example, Boston Mayflower, or rent from a private landlord you need to send us proof of how much rent you pay and what, if any, services are included. Services include things like heating, water rates and meals.

If you have a tenancy agreement, we will need to see it. If you do not have a tenancy agreement, you must contact us for a landlord enquiry form and then ask your landlord to complete the form telling us:

His or her name and address

Your name and address

How much rent you pay

What services are included in your rent

How much you pay for these services

What date your tenancy started

What date you moved into your home.

A copy of the landlord enquiry form can be found in the documents at the bottom of this page.

Benefit cannot normally be paid for any time before you move into a new home. If you take on a tenancy but can't move in straight away, you should ring the housing benefit section for advice.

Proof of earnings

You must provide proof of the money you earn so we can work out your benefit.

If you work for an employer

Please send in the following:

Your last five payslips if you are paid weekly

Your last three payslips if you are paid fortnightly

Your last two payslips if you are paid monthly

Your payslips should show cumulative totals of Gross Pay, National Insurance Contributions and Income Tax paid.

If you cannot do this, please contact the the benefits section to request an Earnings Certificate.

If you have more than one job you must send in proof of wages or an Earnings Certificate for each job you have.

If you have just started work, send the completed application form back straight away with a note saying when you will send in proof of earnings or request an Estimated Earnings Certificate.

If you are self employed:

Please see Self Employed page

If you pay money into a pension scheme, you need to send us proof of the payments you make.

IMPORTANT NOTE

The easiest way to claim housing benefit, council tax support or Second Adult Rebate is to book an appointment with one of our team. If you bring all of the information we need with you it is usually possible for us to process your claim straight away.

Please contact the office on 01205 314202 to arrange an appointment, however you can send your application in the post or just drop in to see us. However if your claim is not complete we may ask you for further information which could delay your claim.

To make a claim for benefit, you will need to fill in an application form. You need to do this quickly because your benefit will normally start from the Monday after your claim form is received by us. Benefit can be backdated but only where you can prove there was a good reason for not applying earlier.

If you would like a claim form you can print one from this website. To download a form, please click on the link below. If you prefer not to print them off yourself we will send you the forms free of charge.